Tag Archives: Michigan

Stunning art along Detroit’s Dequindre Cut

We had the pleasure of biking the length of Detroit’s wonderful Dequindre Cut Greenway in both directions today. The murals and graffiti art are magnificent. Here are some photographs of just a few of these amazing works. Enjoy!

Posted in archaeology, architecture, art, bicycling, Biking, Cities, civility, culture, diversity, downtown, economic development, entertainment, fitness, fun, health, hiking, historic preservation, history, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, landscape architecture, pictures, placemaking, planning, recreation, revitalization, spatial design, third places, topography, tourism, trails, Transportation, Travel, urban design, urban planning, walking | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tuesday Tunes: The best progressive rock song in decades!

  If you are one who grew up listening to Pink Floyd, the Moody Blues, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, early Genesis, Rush, and certain tracks by Queen (Bohemian Rhapsody) and Led Zeppelin, you’ll know what progressive rock (or Prog Rock … Continue reading

Posted in art, Communications, diversity, entertainment, fun, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, Love, music, music reviews, peace, Radio, video, writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ten+ planning lessons from “remarqable” Marquette, Michigan

Before going through the twelve planning lessons listed below, it must be noted that for many years, Marquette has been at the top of my list of favorite cities in Michigan, as well as the at the top of my … Continue reading

Posted in Active transportation, adaptive reuse, archaeology, architecture, bicycling, Biking, branding, cities, civics, colleges, commerce, culture, diversity, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, entertainment, environment, fun, geography, Geology, Great Lakes, hiking, historic preservation, history, immigration, infrastructure, land use, Mining, nature, new urbanism, place names, placemaking, planning, Railroads, recreation, revitalization, shipping, skylines, spatial design, sustainability, third places, topography, tourism, Trade, traffic, trails, transportation, Travel, urban planning, walking, water trails, zoning | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Possibly Michigan’s most beautiful inland secret

Having lived in Michigan for more than 27 years, I thought I knew of and was familiar with all the beautiful spots here. Certainly, the Great Lakes coastlines are noted for their distinctive landscapes and vast scenic beauty. Otherwise, Lake … Continue reading

Posted in ecosystems, fun, geography, Geology, hiking, history, land use, Nature, peace, recreation, seasons, topography, tourism, trails, Travel, Uncategorized, walking, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

More beauty from the Upper Peninsula

Posted in architecture, Cities, culture, ecosystems, Environment, fun, geography, Geology, Great Lakes, historic preservation, history, lighthouses, rivers/watersheds, topography, tourism, Travel, Uncategorized, underwater preserves, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Our quest for the “Metropolis” under East Bay waters

  Since moving to Michigan 27 years ago, I have been intrigued by the history and lore of the Great Lakes. This includes the lighthouses, sand dunes, ore docks, freighters, bridges, geology, and many other facets of this vast waterborne … Continue reading

Posted in archaeology, culture, fun, geography, Great Lakes, historic preservation, history, Maps, nature, North America, pictures, recreation, shipping, shipwrecks, technology, topography, tourism, transportation, Travel, water trails | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Favorite shoreline & inland hikes of NW Lower Michigan

The list below includes those trails that are primarily geared towards hikers rather than cyclists. The only exception is the Boardman Lake Loop Trail.  Shoreline hikes refer to those that are along Lake Michigan or Grand Traverse Bay. Meanwhile, inland … Continue reading

Posted in entertainment, environment, fitness, fun, geography, Geology, health, Health care, hiking, infrastructure, land use, Maps, nature, pictures, placemaking, planning, recreation, spatial design, topography, tourism, trails, Travel, walking, Wildlife | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The flailing Detroit Lions need to be renamed and rebranded!

  When your NFL team is a perpetual disappointment, something drastic needs to be done to turn around that sorry trend. In the Detroit Lions case, not just coaching and personnel changes are in order. Given the Ford family doesn’t … Continue reading

Posted in advertising, branding, business, cities, sports | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Problems with Charter Townships

If you are not from Michigan you may have never heard of the term “charter township.” They are different from standard “general law” townships, in that: “Charter township status is a special township classification created by the Michigan Legislature in … Continue reading

Posted in cities, civics, commerce, demographics, diversity, economic development, geography, government, history, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, planning, racism, social equity, spatial design, sprawl, States, Statistics, urban planning | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Flint You Don’t Hear About

Flint, Michigan has had a tough couple of decades. If the auto plant closings and shutdowns weren’t enough, terrible decisions by the state legislature and officials under the Snyder administration put its residents in jeopardy. Those same residents will be … Continue reading

Posted in cities, civics, downtown, economic development, economic gardening, geography, health, Health care, historic preservation, history, Housing, human rights, humanity, inclusiveness, infrastructure, land use, placemaking, planning, pollution, poverty, racism, revitalization, Statistics, third places, tourism, Travel, urban planning, zoning | Tagged , , | 2 Comments